Saturday, August 20, 2011

Japanese Eels, sometimes referred to as Unagi, are
creatures that live in both fresh and salt water. They can grow to
lengths of around 5ft (1.5m), and have quite a remarkable life story!

As
adults, they live in the freshwater rivers of East Asia. But when the
times comes to spawn, the eels travel thousands of miles to a spawning
ground near the Mariana Islands. They nearly starve in order to make the
trip! After the spawning takes place, the eggs are carried off by
currents into the open ocean, where the Japanese Eels hatch and grow
through their larval phase. As they get larger and larger the ocean
current brings them closer to the continent, where they swim upriver
just as their parents did and begin the process anew.

Unfortunately,
Japanese Eel populations have been hit hard in recent years. This is
because of their high demand within the food industry and because of
changes in the ocean environment. These Eels are placed on the
Greenpeace Seafood Red List and are listed as “to avoid” on the Monterey
Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Overfishing, destructive fishing
techniques, and damaging capture levels for the captive industry make
Japanese Eels (and their culinary name, Unagi) a meal to avoid.